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Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813. Pinellas County, together with Hillsborough County, Hernando County, and Pasco County, comprise the Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan area, which along with Manatee County and Sarasota County, is often referred to as the Tampa Bay Area. The county's government website won a "Sunny Award" in 2010 for its proactive disclosure of government data from Sunshine Review.[http://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/content_articles/062210_pco-10.txt Tampa Bay Newspapers, County receives A+ for Web site, June 22, 2010] History :Timeline of Pinellas County, Florida history. Pinellas County seceded from Hillsborough County in 1912, and was named for the Spanish Punta Piñal ("Point of Pines" or "Piney Point"). The Pinellas Peninsula, dividing Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, and a small part of the mainland were incorporated into the county. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (46.06%) is land and (53.94%) is water. Adjacent counties *Pasco County, Florida - north *Hillsborough County, Florida - east and south (The center span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which links southeastern Pinellas County to northwestern Manatee County is in Hillsborough County, so no portion of Pinellas County actually touches Manatee County.) National protected area * Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 921,482 people, 414,968 households, and 243,171 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,271/km² (3,292/sq mi), making it the most densely populated county in Florida. There were 481,573 housing units at an average density of 1,720 per square mile (664/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.85% White, 8.96% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 4.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 414,968 households out of which 22.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.40% were non-families. 34.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.77. In the county the population was spread out with 19.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,111, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $32,264 versus $26,281 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,497. About 6.70% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over. Pinellas County population is greater than that of the individual population of the states of Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, or Vermont. The population is also greater than the District of Columbia. 2008 and 2004 election results Pinellas County cast the majority of its votes for Barack Obama. He won 248,299 votes and 53% of the vote. John McCain won 45% of the vote and 210,066 votes. In 2004, Pinellas County voted the other way and George W. Bush won the pluarity of votes in the county. Bush won 50% of the vote and 225,686 votes. John F. Kerry came in a very close second, winning 225,460 votes and 49.51% of the vote. Pinellas County is a closely divided county with its conservative north and Democratic St. Petersburg.http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Communities in Pinellas County as indicated by list at left]] Incorporated municipalities # Town of Belleair # City of Belleair Beach # City of Belleair Bluffs # Town of Belleair Shore # City of Clearwater # City of Dunedin # City of Gulfport # City of Indian Rocks Beach # Town of Indian Shores # Town of Kenneth City # City of Largo # City of Madeira Beach # Town of North Redington Beach # City of Oldsmar # City of Pinellas Park # Town of Redington Beach # Town of Redington Shores # City of Safety Harbor # City of Seminole # City of South Pasadena # City of St. Pete Beach # City of St. Petersburg # City of Tarpon Springs # City of Treasure Island Unincorporated CDPs *Bardmoor *Bay Pines *Bear Creek *East Lake *Feather Sound *Greenbriar *Harbor Bluffs *Lealman *Palm Harbor *Ridgecrest *South Highpoint *Tierra Verde *West Lealman Unincorporated communities not Census Designated Places *Baskin (portion annexed by the city of Largo) *Gandy *Highpoint (portion in South Highpoint CDP) *Oakhurst *Seminole Park *Walsingham Unincorporated communities part of Palm Harbor CDP Census Designated Place *Crystal Beach - Has a U.S. Post Office with a post office box mail system. It is a non-delivery office. The zip code for Crystal Beach is 34681. *Curlew *Innisbrook *Ozona - Has a U.S. Post Office with a post office box mail system. It is a non-delivery office. The zip code for Ozona 34660. *St. George *Wall Springs Transportation C-130 taxis at St. Pete-Clearwater Airport]] Airports *St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport *Albert Whitted Airport *Clearwater Air Park *nearby: Tampa International Airport Mass transit Pinellas County has the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) as the public transit provider, with major stops at all local malls and employment centers. There are 197 buses and trolleys that serve 43 routes, in addition to the 2 express routes to downtown Tampa via the Howard Frankland and Gandy Bridges, connecting with HartLine. In addition, PSTA connects with PCPT in Tarpon Springs to continue service to western Pasco County. The 2 main bus terminals are located in downtown Clearwater and downtown St. Petersburg, with routes bisecting and crossing the entire county. During fiscal year 2005-06, PSTA transported 11,400,484 passengers. Railroads The CSX railroad company operates branch lines of the former Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line railroads. It has daily rail traffic from north Tampa though Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Largo, and into downtown St. Petersburg and the adjacent industrial areas. As of March 2008, the portion of the railroad in downtown St. Petersburg and the adjacent western industrial areas is abandoned and being dismantled. There is a small rail yard north of downtown St. Petersburg. Major highways *Interstate 275 including the Howard Frankland Bridge, which connects northern St. Petersburg with Tampa and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across the mouth of Tampa Bay. *Interstate 175 *Interstate 375 *U.S. Route 19 is the main road through Pinellas County, stretching from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and leaving I-275 at Exit 17 through Downtown St. Petersburg into the Tarpon Springs/Holiday area at the Pinellas-Pasco County Line. *Alternate 19 former section of US 19 that runs closer to the Gulf of Mexico than US 19 itself. *U.S. Route 92 - 4th Street North/Gandy Boulevard including the Gandy Bridge which connects southern Tampa to eastern St. Petersburg *SR 593/East Lake Road/ CR 611/McMullen-Booth Road/Bayside Bridge *SR 60/Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard including the Courtney Campbell Causeway which connects eastern Clearwater to the Tampa International Airport area and northwestern Hillsborough County *Gulf Boulevard *State Road 580 Education The county is served by the Pinellas County Schools district, Eckerd College, the multi-campus St. Petersburg College, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Economy SeaCoast Airlines is headquartered in its private terminal on the grounds of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, located in an unincorporated area in the county."mainContact/mainBody2.jpg." SeaCoast Airlines. Retrieved on June 19, 2010. Jet America, a proposed airline, was headquartered in an unincorporated area in the county."Contact Us." Jet America. Retrieved on May 27, 2009. Emergency management Pinellas County has had 911 since 1978. Over the years, the system has evolved many times. Originally, the Sheriffs Office handled north county areas and the City of St. Petersburg the south. In 1987 the Pinellas County Emergency Communications Center was formed and assumed the role of 911 center for the central and northern portions of the County. A year later, "Enhanced 911" was installed countywide. The most recent change to the system occurred in December 1991. The Pinellas County Emergency Communications Center became the primary answering point for all 911 calls within the County. Fire departments Palm Harbor Fire Rescue See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Pinellas County, Florida References External links Government links *Visit St. Pete Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau *Pinellas County Government / Board of County Commissioners *Pinellas County Property Appraiser *Pinellas County Sheriff's Office *Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections *Pinellas County Tax Collector *Pinellas Planning Council *Pinellas County GIS Maps *Pinellas County Economic Development Special districts *Pinellas County Public Schools *Southwest Florida Water Management District Judicial branch *Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County *Public Defender for the 6th Judicial Circuit serving Pinellas and Pasco Counties *Office of the State Attorney, 6th Judicial Circuit *Circuit and County Court for the 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida Links of interest * Pinellas Indicators - Pinellas County, Florida, USA - A website for viewing and downloading geographically referenced statistics for Pinellas County, FL * [http://visitstpeteclearwater.com VisitStPete/Clearwater.com,] the official visitor website of Pinellas County Convention and Visitors Bureau *Hillsborough County Maps from when Pinellas was part of Hillsborough * Maps of early Pinellas County * Fort Desoto * HCA Hospitals in Pinellas * Pinellas County Florida Cooperative Extension Service * Pinellas County Master Gardener Program * The Florida Botanical Gardens - A Pinellas County Government Program * [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/?c=fdnl1&b=UF00073688 Pinellas News], newspaper with full text and full pages images from the [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/?c=fdnl1 Florida Digital Newspaper Library] * [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/?c=fdnl1&b=UF00089435 Gabber], newspaper with full text and full pages images from the [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/?c=fdnl1 Florida Digital Newspaper Library] Category:Charter counties in Florida Category:Counties in the Tampa Bay Area Category:Pinellas County, Florida Category:Established in 1911